The present invention relates to laser processing of materials, and more particularly to the reduction of discoloration and odor caused by laser processing foam materials.
Lasers are currently being used to modify materials in a vast array of products and markets. There are many lasers types and wavelengths available to choose from to best match performance desired in a given material and application. Even with the best selection for a given product and application there can be some undesirable affects due to the nature of the laser process itself that may need to be overcome for the successful use of the laser. One of these undesirable affects is in the form of smoke/debris contamination that can form on the product that occurs during laser processing. There are various ways of dealing with this contamination that work well in certain applications but not necessarily all applications for a variety of reasons.
One such application involves processing a porous foam material with a high speed steered beam system and CO2 laser. The process involves creating blind holes in the foam material that is holes which do not go through the entire depth of the material. The high speed laser processing results in some smoke/debris contamination on the foam—and in the porous areas of the foam. In certain applications, such as medical applications, this is an undesirable effect. This contamination results in a discoloration of the foam that can increase in intensity over time.